Ai Senshi Nicol (愛戦士ニコル Ai Senshi Nikoru?, lit. "Love Warrior Nicol") is a 1987 action-adventure game by Konami for the Family Computer Disk System. It was only released in Japan.
Konami released the game as an i-application for cellular phone use as part of the Konami Masterpiece Series on April 26, 2006.
Plot[]
Nicol, a 14-year-old genius inventor and his girlfriend Stella, manage to invent a dimensional space transporting device. However, their research attracts the attention of Gyumao (Cow Demon), a ruthless dictator of a military empire with plans for space conquest. The Demon offers to buy the device from the couple and act out his nefarious plans. Wanting to preserve the peace of his world, Nicol turns down the offer, denying Gyumao the means to accomplish his goal. The Demon, furious, dispatches his soldiers to kidnap Stella and steal the device from Nicol's laboratory. The soldiers ambush Nicol and Stella during a date, overpowering Nicol and carrying off his girlfriend. Defeated, Nicol returns to his laboratory only to find the device gone. Fortunately, the transporter was not yet complete, lacking a vital part which was still in Nicol's possession. Gyumao hopes to exchange Stella with the indispensable part he needs, but Nicol has other plans in mind.
Against Gyumao's orders, he travels to Gyumao's Dairasu star system to free his lover himself. A disapproving Gyumao shatters the device into pieces and scatters those fragments across seven locations. Nicol must then travel across Dairasu, collect the fragments, repair the transporter, and liberate his girlfriend.
Gameplay[]
Ai Senshi Nicol is played from a top-down perspective. The game is conformed by several playing field screens connected to each other in a grid. Each screen usually has various exits either at the top, bottom, or either sides. All enemies (except bosses) will respawn when scrolling from one screen to another (all these mechanics are similar to Nintendo's 1986 game, The Legend of Zelda).
The game consists of 7 stages. In each stage, there is a "crystal diamond" holding a different piece of the dimensional space transporting device. The stage is cleared by collecting all three pieces.
Players can increase the amount of ammo they can carry, as well as their defense, by acquiring diverse items scattered throughout each stage. The game is over when the HP gauge displayed at the bottom of the screen reaches 0. A "Continue" option is then offered.
If falling into a pit in the field, instead of losing a life like in most other games, the player is sent to an underground level. However, these areas are notorious for being badly damaged and navigating through them is much more difficult than the surface stages, requiring continuous jumping and platforming to avoid damage. A warp point can be found each of these levels, which allows the player to return to the spot on the surface level where they initially fell.
Trivia[]
- A comic titled Ai Senshi Nicol: Uchuu no Kizuna as part of the Adventure Hero Books series by Keibunsha.